Buyer of depreciated McLaren 650S reveals the hidden costs of ownership 6-months into his purchase
- This 10-year-old McLaren 650S is well used
- Six months in the owner walks us through the costs
- He covers servicing, warranties, and parts
Published on Dec 18, 2024 at 4:09 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Dec 20, 2024 at 3:51 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
While buying a 10-year-old McLaren 650S might seem like a good way to make the supercar more affordable (relatively speaking), do the costs add up to make it even more expensive?
One UK supercar owner took to YouTube to run us through the expenses of the well-used and depreciated McLaren 650S six months in.
He covers servicing, warranties, and parts.
Does McLaren really deserve its poor reputation for being expensive to run and maintain?
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McLaren 650S costs
Aside from costs, Harry Metcalfe of Harry’s Garage seems pretty stoked about his purchase.
Up front the McLaren 650S is significantly cheaper to buy on the second-hand market than the 675 or 720.
However, that’s not the end of the story.
“Some of the service costs on a McLaren are really quite lumpy,” Metcalfe admitted.
Harry’s annual service for the car, including an oil change, a new windshield wiper, and a recalibration of the suspension sensor cost $1,300.
Not an insignificant amount, however, if we get granular and work that that’s $140 per hour of shop labor it’s actually pretty reasonable.
Other potential and ‘weird’ costs include the recommendation to replace the wheel bolts on the 650S every two years and replace its lithium 12V battery at the cost of around $2,500.
Common problems owners face include headlights falling out, cracks in the carbon fiber, and repainting punchy paint finishes.
Want more? These are the top five most expensive cars to maintain.
Keeping supercar costs under control
Metcalfe also expresses that going to a specialist shop rather than the dealer is a cheaper option.
He also opted for the Spyder version due to its more durable and rigid carbon-fiber tub.
While he liked bright shades, he settled on a practical paint finish in Amethyst Black.
Punchier colorways like Volcano Orange would be difficult to match in the event of a scratch – meaning historically cars have needed to be oversprayed.
Similarly, Aston Martin’s Valkyrie hypercar cost seven figures, but service costs add up to much more.
Similarly, the Hermes Edition Pagani Huayra has hard-to-believe annual service costs.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
